Unless specifically stated, these are someone else's words which I simply wanted to share all in one place. I agree with many of the sentiments reflected in these articles, but Kickin' it Old School has really become an accumulation of my feelings on this matter. Hopefully you are a regular reader and this has become evident. Some of the most telling issues are still yet to come, but for now I thought I would publish some of the best thoughts that others have written on the subject of being a "Child of the 80's." If you missed the first 3 parts, here is a link back to part 1, a link back to part 2 and a link back to part 3 of my "Child of the 80's" tribute.

Here is part 4 of our tribute:

We are the children of the Eighties. We are not the first "lost generation" nor today's lost generation; in fact, we think we know just where we stand - or are discovering it as we speak. We are the ones who played with Lego Building Blocks when they were just building blocks and gave Malibu Barbie crewcuts with safety scissors that never really cut.

We collected Garbage Pail Kids and Cabbage Patch Kids and My Little Ponies and Hot Wheels and He-Man action figures and thought She-Ra looked just a little bit like I would when I was a woman. Big Wheels and bicycles with streamers were the way to go, and sidewalk chalk was all you needed to build a city. Imagination was the key. It made the Ewok Treehouse big enough for you to be Luke and the kitchen table and an old sheet dark enough to be a tent in the forest. Your world was the backyard and it was all you needed. With your pink portable tape player, Debbie Gibson sang back up to you and everyone wanted a skirt like the Material Girl and a glove like Michael Jackson's.

Today, we are the ones who sing along with Bruce Springsteen and The Bangles perfectly and have no idea why. We recite lines with the Ghostbusters and still look to The Goonies for a great adventure. We flip through T.V. stations and stop at The A Team and Knight Rider and Fame and laugh with The Cosby Show and Family Ties and Punky Brewster and what you talkin' 'bout Willis? We hold strong affections for The Muppets and The Gummy Bears and why did they take the Smurfs off the air? After school specials were only about cigarettes and step-families, the Polka Dot Door was nothing like Barney, and aren't the Power Rangers just Voltron reincarnated?

We are the ones who still read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, the Bobbsey Twins, Beverly Clearly and Judy Blume, Richard Scary and the Electric Company. Friendship bracelets were ties you couldn't break and friendship pins went on shoes - preferably hightop Velcro Reebox - and pegged jeans were in, as were Units belts and layered socks and jean jackets and jams and charm necklaces and side pony tails and just tails. Rave was a girl's best friend; braces with colored rubberbands made you cool.

The backdoor was always open and Mom served only red Kool-Aid to the neighborhood kids- never drank New Coke. Entertainment was cheap and lasted for hours. All you needed to be a princess was high heels and an apron; the Sit'n'Spin always made you dizzy but never made you stop; Pogoballs were dangerous weapons and Chinese Jump Ropes never failed to trip someone. In your Underoos you were Wonder Woman or Spider Man or R2D2 and in your treehouse you were king.

In the Eighties, nothing was wrong. Did you know the president was shot? Star Wars was not only a movie. Did you ever play in a bomb shelter? Did you see the Challenger explode or feed the homeless man? We forgot Vietnam and watched Tiananmen Square on CNN and bought pieces of the Berlin Wall at the store. AIDS was not the number one killer in the United States. We didn't start the fire, Billy Joel.

In the Eighties, we redefined the American Dream, and those years defined us. We are the generation in between strife and facing strife and not turning our backs. The Eighties may have made us idealistic, but it's that idealism that will push us and be passed on to our children - the first children of the twenty-first century. Never forget: We are the children of the Eighties.

Once again, I am not sure who deserves credit for this short essay, but thought it was worthwhile sharing. Though it hits on some great nostalgia, it probably could have included at least a few more paragraphs full. It is not as thorough as I would like it to be, but what is there is quality. I intend on publishing my own ORIGINAL list like this some day soon, but have some final tweaks before I am ready to share it here. This will be my final "Child of the 80s" tribute issue for now (four has been enough), but we may revisit the topic again soon. I will also be getting back to my normal issues again next.

That wraps up the final part of this multi-part issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading and I hope you found them entertaining. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column (organized by month) or use the blogbar Search Box in the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you love Kickin' it, please consider subscribing and/or stopping by often. I also ask you to let other "Children of the 80's" know about us and those referrals are always appreciated. Peace and much love.

Check this out: Since this issue is being published on Halloween, I thought I should include something appropriate for that.  If you read my Top 80s Music Videos list, you would see that I ranked "Thriller" by Michael Jackson #1 as an obvious choice.  I recently came across this remix version with an updated video (not starring MJ), but thought it was worth sharing here... 

Quote of the day: "And maybe that's at the core of all our nostalgic tendencies - salvaging solace by keeping times-gone-by alive and present. I can see why: there's no unpredictability with the past - it happened already, it can't go wrong, it's there on the plate perfectly cooked and ready to eat. The present and future? It's raw and who knows whether it'll be palatable." -Spencer Austin from Chasing the Eighties: The Ultimate North American Movie Location Road Trip (go to www.chasingthe80s.co.uk to find out more about this interesting story)

Download this: Since the "Boss" was mentioned in the essay above, I thought I would go with "Dancing In The Dark" by Bruce Springsteen